The Isle of Purbeck is a peninsula on the southern tip of the the county of Dorset in England. The photographs I take, hopefully, help to express how I feel about this magical place and show you things which you may see if you come to visit. I am a full time, professional photographer and have a gallery in Swanage.
Please feel free to click on the picture to see it larger or to look at my other photographs.
www.purbeckfootprints.co.uk

Sunday, 30 May 2010

As I can't get out until later, I thought I would post a couple of shots from the last couple of encounters.I was surprised by how relaxed this young lady was with me, as the Sun went down. Being up close to any wild animal is special, but when they seem to be as happy with your presence as you are with there's it gets even better.

Saturday, 29 May 2010

So, there I was, slowly creeping towards a Fox and at one with nature. The only noise was the gentle sigh of grass giving way as inched forwards. I was aware of everything, every single sound. Every sound that is except the fully grown female Roe Deer that must have been stood only about twenty feet away. I think I need more practice, nearly had a heart attack!

Friday, 28 May 2010

Well, it's official. Sika is now a fully paid up member of the family. We found her 35 days ago and luckily for us no one has claimed her. Today, we had her micro-chipped and checked out by the vet. She is gaining weight nicely and has really settled in.The training is going well but although she is a real cutie, she is also as mad as cheese!

There is, once again, a pair of Kestrels nesting on the cliffs at Durlston. This gives great views of the adults, and the promise of some even better views of the youngsters. This morning, the male decided to show off his skills and it seemed only polite to watch for a while.

Our local R.N.L.I. lifeboat was out again last night and it had the Coastguard for company. It is always great to watch the lifeboat lads and lasses work or play and at this time of year, when the sea gets busier, so do they.

The light had gone, but I couldn't resist posting this one. A pair of Blue Tits had made a nest in a gap within an old stone wall and were very busy. This chap though, was very cool and seemed to be doing a good job at keeping the local moth population down.

I am not sure whether this young lady has just had a fawn, but I think she has. She was surprisingly relaxed with me tonight, just after this shot she lay down so that only her head was visible above the grass and her eyes started to close.I don't go looking for the youngsters, they need time and space to grow.

Sunday, 23 May 2010

I'm still getting to grips with macro photography and I'm never quite sure which bit to focus on (I prefer the eye, though it doesn't always look right). But any chance to take a half decent shot of a very small blue butterfly is not to be sniffed at. I think this is an Adonis Blue, but as always, feel free to correct me.

Luckily this Slow Worm lived up to his name. I spent quite a few minutes laying down on the road to try and get a decent shot. I wanted to get a shot or two of it in the grass, but when I picked it up from the road and carefully placed it among some very picturesque foliage, it found a bit of speed and disappeared.

I can't really complain, when, on a visit to a construction site this afternoon I managed to put the meeting on hold while I took a few shots of the local wildlife. The rather impressive house that was to be built has its own lake, a colony of bats and a pair of Herons.

I have been looking at these for a while now, and I still can't decide which shot I prefer. It took a while to get both birds in one shot but they would not sit on the same branch no matter how many times I asked them.I know I could blend the two shots, but I don't want to do that.

It has been a while since I have posted a shot of our local Sika. So I was quite pleased when I saw this lady on the way home today. Sika are wonderful to photograph, they are incredibly curious and will often take a step closer to you and have a quick sniff before they wander off.There are quite a few around here, but I never get bored of spending time with them.

Time is something that I just don't seem to have enough of these days. But finally I have a weekend with no plans and so I can just head off with the dogs and take pictures. I should be back, but I have heard a rumour that there may be the chance of Sun and beer later.....Here's hoping for enough time to do what we want this weekend.

Tuesday, 11 May 2010

Another day of unpredictable weather and far too much work meant that the camera has got little use lately.I was quite lucky with this shot though. After seeing a reddy-brown lump in a field I decided on a second look. I couldn't get very close to the Fox, who looked like he was checking out the local mouse population, but at least I managed to shake the dust off the camera.

Saturday, 8 May 2010

It would have been nice to have a little midday Sun today, but I had to make do with a little midday rain. I was blessed with mad dogs though. Benny and Sika are getting on well and get many puzzled looks as they chase each other. The weather wasn't great today, but the walk was just what I needed. Not many chances to take a shot, but this Roe Deer more than made up for it.

Thursday, 6 May 2010

Now I know these are not the most popular birds, but come on! Watching this younster goose-stepping around was great fun. This year there are only three young Canada Geese outside my office, but there is plenty of time for more.

We have had Sika for two weeks now and things are looking good. She has obviously never been trained or worked and has more than a little trouble controlling her long legs. She is incredibly curious and a bit of a handfull, but I think she is happy.

Lots of action on the cliffs tonight, the highlight of which was an all too brief encounter with a Peregrine, but not many photo opportunities. It was nice to see a single Wheatear sitting quietly minding her own business.

Monday, 3 May 2010

Another favourite, and one I hadn't seen much of until today. There were sunny spells today, in between the dark clouds and light rain, but they were not very long. So I was quite pleased to nab this Yellowhammer before the clouds made a very pretty little bird look a bit dull.

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About Me

I spend as much time as I can exploring the beautiful Isle of
Purbeck, a peninsula on the southern tip of the the county of Dorset in
England. The photographs I take, hopefully, help to express how I feel
about this magical place and show you things which you may see if you
come to visit.